We are looking at rehoming around 4 Cherry Valley ducks who have come from a commercial laying farm since they need a home and we have space. We have a small lake in our horse field and have had ducks for years and years, but not confined to a run or house for any real period of time. The lake has a small island with a house on it (which needs replacing) and is currently home to 3 Indian Runner x Mallard drakes who are semi-wild (we had IRs which bred with wild Mallards) that are pretty old now, around 10. They roam free, sleep where they like and have outsmarted any nearby foxes. We feed them but that is all the maintenance we do and they have thrived. There are also Moorhens on the lake and some wild Greylag geese who come for the nesting season. I believe the CV ducks are fairly substantial and should be an OK match with the drakes we have?
In order to rehome these ducks we need to provide a secure house and run space for them and I am desperately trying to think how we can do that since all the land next to the lake slopes down to it. In an ideal world we would confine them for the initial period and then let them free range with the other ducks, but I am assuming that if they become accustomed to sleeping in a house then they are likely to always return to it? And maybe our drakes will try to join them? In which case we would need to factor in more space and consider that in winter they will be in there for long periods of time. It would be perfect if they would just mix with the others and then sleep where they wanted... I think this is a lot healthier in many ways than being shut up in a house all the time.
We can put a house and run next to the lake for them for now, or even overlapping the lake so they can swim in it already (I have seen a large metal chicken run for sale nearby which could work, even on a slope?). Or another option would be to put a new house on the island and fence them on there? That would work well in the long run as even if they kept the habit of returning to the house to sleep each night, they'd be pretty safe. I know that foxes can swim but the lake is next to the house and we've never encountered any issues with foxes reaching the island so far. My concern with that is that if our current ducks or the moorhens sleep on there currently, which I'm not sure on, then they would be fenced out for the period the others are fenced in.
My primary queries are:
- realistically how big a house should we provide for these ducks? I am considering just adapting a roomy dog kennel or shed as this is much cheaper than buying a purpose-built duck house (and doesn't seem much different?)
- how much run space do they need for the introductory period when they are not allowed to free range?
- do you think it likely they will always return to the house to sleep even when they are able to roam free? Since our other ducks have never been confined I wondered if they might just learn the ropes from them and get in the habit of sleeping 'out and about'?
- what bedding do you use in your duck houses?
Thanks in advance for your help. We have chickens already, including some ex-commercial 'rescues', and would really love to offer these ducks a good home and also give some needed company to our ageing drakes, particularly as they are unlikely to live much longer and we don't wish to end up with a last lonely duck.
Quick pic attached - you can just see the island at the back (with large willow tree). We don't usually have so many visiting geese, just took the pic as so many stopped by.
In order to rehome these ducks we need to provide a secure house and run space for them and I am desperately trying to think how we can do that since all the land next to the lake slopes down to it. In an ideal world we would confine them for the initial period and then let them free range with the other ducks, but I am assuming that if they become accustomed to sleeping in a house then they are likely to always return to it? And maybe our drakes will try to join them? In which case we would need to factor in more space and consider that in winter they will be in there for long periods of time. It would be perfect if they would just mix with the others and then sleep where they wanted... I think this is a lot healthier in many ways than being shut up in a house all the time.
We can put a house and run next to the lake for them for now, or even overlapping the lake so they can swim in it already (I have seen a large metal chicken run for sale nearby which could work, even on a slope?). Or another option would be to put a new house on the island and fence them on there? That would work well in the long run as even if they kept the habit of returning to the house to sleep each night, they'd be pretty safe. I know that foxes can swim but the lake is next to the house and we've never encountered any issues with foxes reaching the island so far. My concern with that is that if our current ducks or the moorhens sleep on there currently, which I'm not sure on, then they would be fenced out for the period the others are fenced in.
My primary queries are:
- realistically how big a house should we provide for these ducks? I am considering just adapting a roomy dog kennel or shed as this is much cheaper than buying a purpose-built duck house (and doesn't seem much different?)
- how much run space do they need for the introductory period when they are not allowed to free range?
- do you think it likely they will always return to the house to sleep even when they are able to roam free? Since our other ducks have never been confined I wondered if they might just learn the ropes from them and get in the habit of sleeping 'out and about'?
- what bedding do you use in your duck houses?
Thanks in advance for your help. We have chickens already, including some ex-commercial 'rescues', and would really love to offer these ducks a good home and also give some needed company to our ageing drakes, particularly as they are unlikely to live much longer and we don't wish to end up with a last lonely duck.
Quick pic attached - you can just see the island at the back (with large willow tree). We don't usually have so many visiting geese, just took the pic as so many stopped by.
but bless you for saving 4 of them. 
